Oven illumination for stoves



y 1941- c. EHRET OVEN ILLUMINATION FOR STOV ES Filed Aug. 26, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 2 m I I INVENTOR. Clemenr Ehret ATTORNEY.

Patented July 29, 1941 OVEN ILLUMINATION Fon s'rovEs Clement Ehret,White Plains, N. Y. I Application August as, 1939, Serial No. 292,010

3 Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No.249,673, filed January '7, 1939, and is filed pursuant to a requirement;for division in said application.

' The object of the present invention is to provide simple andconvenient means for illuminating the interior of the oven of a domesticcooking stove, so that the contents thereof may be made clearly visiblewhen desired.

Attempts have heretofore been made to illuminate ovens, as, for example,in my aforesaid application wherein a suitable source of light, such asan electric lamp is mounted within a lamp housing with a transparentwindow between the lamp and the oven interior. When such a structure iemployed, it is found that steam and other vapors from food cooking inthe oven, as well as grease which may be spattered' therefrom, lodge andaccumulate upon said window and so interfere with the passage of lighttherethrough as to result in improper illumination. In time the windowmay become so coated with grease and other extraneous matter that it isimpossible to get any effective light therethrough. Accordingly it hasbeen found necessary with structures employing transparent windows toprovide a wiper or other means to keep the window free fromaccumulations. This is the subject matter of my application of whichthis case forms a division.

In accordance with the invention herein described and claimed thenecessity for a wiperor other similar cleaning device is eliminated byeliminating the window between the lamp and the oven interior and byassociating with the lamp a light valve, preferably in the form of awall which is adapted to be normally interposed between the oveninterior and the lamp. This wall effectually protects the lamp fromaccumulations, such as those to which I have referred, but is so mountedas to be movable from between the lamp and the oven interior when it isdesired to illuminate the oven. Further-- more .the present inventionprovides for normal inactivity of the lamp and for the illuminationthereof only at such times as when the wall is moved from between thelamp and oven interior to permit of illumination of the latter. In otherwords, this invention permits the illumination of the oven at such timesas it may be desired to do so, while at all other times the lamp isisolated from the oven interior and is preferably vented to theatmosphere, to preclude fogging of the lamp and to eliminate overheatingof such lamp lIS.

and the associated switches which may be utilized to control itsoperation.

' Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will beapparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate differ ent practical embodiments ofthe invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understoodas illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.1

Figure 1 is a section perspective of a stove construction embodying thepresent invention in one of its practical forms.

Figure 2 is a section in the plane of the line 22 of Figure 1. p

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3'3 of Figure 2. I

Figure 4 is a fragmental perspective showing a modified form of thepresent invention.

Figure 5 is a section perspective taken in the plane of the line 55 ofFigure 4 and viewing the parts from the interior of the oven.

Figures 6 and 7 are sections showing further modified forms ofconstruction. V

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1-3, the stove body I isshown as having an oven 2. The oven has a suitable door 2a which may beprovided with a transparent panel 2b. Adjacent the front of the oven isa recess or seat 3 having the cross section of a quarter of acircletacts 9 and lil fixed on an insulating rotor rigid with the shaft. Therotor is enclosed within a cap ll carrying a strip of insulation l2 andthis strip carries brushes l3 and M to engage with the contacts 9 andIii. A handle I5 is attached to' the outer end of the shaft 6 to rotatethe latter, so that in one position the contacts will feed current tothe lamp 8 and in other positions the lamp will be deeneraized.

The parts are so related that, when the lamp is illuminated, an openingIt in the wall of the lamp housing will register with the interior ofthe oven, so that the oven may be illuminatedby the lamp. Whenthe'housing is rotated by the handle IE to shut off the current to thelamp, the opening it will move into'jux'taposition with the seat 3 andseal the oven against loss of heat at this point. Vent openings I! inthe lamp housing 4 will, at such times, vent the interior of the housingto the atmosphere to keep the lamp from fogging. When the opening I6 isin registration with the oven interior the vent openings will be closedby the seat 3. Thus by merely grasping and rotating the handle I5, thehousing, acting as a light valve, will cause the oven .to be illuminatedor darkened. When illuminated the vent openings I! will be sealed so asto preclude loss of heat and when the oven is darkened, the lamp 8 isisolated from the oven interior by the solid interposed wall of the lamphousing 4 and the interior of the lamp housing is vented to theatmosphere.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figures 4 and 5, the ovenhas an inner wall l8, an outer wall l3 and is provided with .an ovendoor 20 which may have a transparent panel 2!. The walls l8 and IQ ofthe oven are provided with a cut out 22 having associated therewitharcuate seats 23 in which a cylindrical lamp housing 24 is mounted torotate. This cylindrical lamp housing is held to its seat by a cover 25pivoted at 26 to the outside of the oven and this cover may be swunginto an open position to obtain ready access to the lamp housing and tothe lamp 2'! contained therein. As shown best in Figure 5, the lamphousing has formed in one side thereof an opening 28 which, throughrotation of the housing, may be brought into and out of registrationwith the cut out 22 of the inner wall of the oven or may be moved out ofsuch registration. When moved out of registration the opening 23 isadapted to register with vent openings 23 in the cover 25. The lamphousing 24 is secured at its forward end to a hollow shaft 38 whichextends forwardly through a switch box 3i and is provided at its forwardend with a handle 32 whereby the lamp housing may be rotated. The handle32 corresponds to the handle l5, hereinbefore described, and the currentswitching mechanism in the lamp housing 3! corresponds to and may be ofthe same construction as the current switching mechanism of Figures 1-3inclusive.

The arrangement is such that, when the lamp housing is rotated intoposition to bring the openings 28 and 22 into register, current will befed to the lamp 2'! to energize the same and thus illuminate theinterior of the oven. When the lamp housing is rotated into a positionto bring a solid portion of the wall of the lamp housing in registrationwith the opening 22 of the inner wall of the oven, the oven will bethereby darkened and the switch mechanism will turn oif current to thelamp.

The cover 25 may be provided with an opening 33 having therein a coloredglass to act as a telltale and thereby show when the lamp is ignited.This is particularly useful in ovens which are not provided withtransparent doors. If it become desirable at any time toremove the lamp21, the cover 25 may simply be opened and the lamp housing rotated intooff position to thereby render the lamp readily accessible.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 6, an opening 34 throughthe oven wall is adapted to be closed on the inside of the oven by aflap 35 pivoted at 36 and on the outside of the oven by a flap 3'!pivoted at 38. The pivot of the inner flap 35 is preferably weighted asat 39, so as to normally close this flap. The pivot 38 is rigid withtheouter flap, extends forwardly 48 of a toggle switch 49.

to the front of the stove and is provided with a handle like the handle32 in Figure 4, so that the outer flap 3'! may be operated by such ahandle.

Within the space between the inner and outer flaps is a lamp 4%] which,if desired, may be connected with current switching means correspondingto the current switching means 3| of Figure 4 to thus be controlled bythe operation of the handle as specified. However, as shown in Figure 6,the lamp is controlled by a switch 41 having a push button 42 so mountedthat, when the outer flap is closed, it will engage the push button 42and energize the lamp whereas, when the flap 31 is in open position,-the push button switch will turn oil the lamp.

The outer flap is shown as carrying a camming finger 43 of such lengththat, when the outer flap is closed, the inner flap will be forced intoopen position, as shown in full lines in Figure 6, whereas, when theouter flap is opened, the weight 39 of the inner flap will force thelatter flap into closed position and open the outer one. With thisarrangement it will be impossible to inadvertently leave the inner flapin open position. With this arrangement the inner flap will normally beclosed to isolate the lamp from the interior of the oven and the lampwill be normally deenergized. When the outer flap, however, is closed,the lamp will be energized and the inner flap will be opened, so thatthe light of the lamp will serve to illuminate the interior of the oven.7

I have described the structure of Figure 6 as operated by a handleacting upon the pivot 38 of the outer flap, but, if desired,thisoperation may be dispensed with and a knob 44 may be placed on theouter flap in such a way that it may be directly grasped for the purposeof manipulating the parts in the manner described. The-structure ofFigure '7 is in many respects like the structure of Figure 6. Here,however, the inner flap 45 is connected to the outer flap 46 by a link41 which is pivoted to the handle This toggle switch controls the feedof current to the lamp 5t] and is so arranged that the lamp will beenergized when the inner flap is opened and deenergized when the innerflap is closed. The outer flap may be manipulated to bring about theseresults in any suitable way as hereinbefore described.

All of the several forms of the invention which I have describedcomprise a lamp which, under normal conditions, is isolated from theinterior of the oven by an interposed wall member adapted to function asa light valve. In certain cases this light valve is in the form of acylindrical lamp housing and in other cases, it is in the form of apivoted wall, specifically a flap. So long as the wall member isinterposed between the lamp and the oven interior, the lamp is vented tothe atmosphere and is thoroughly protected from deposits from within theoven. Moreover, when the light valve is opened to open the lightaperture to the oven, the oven is sealed from without so as nottooccasion appreciable loss of heat. The said wall member need not betransparent and in fact preferably is not. It is preferably made ofmetal and may be provided with appropriate asbestos or other refractorygaskets to insure a-fairly tight, fit and minimize heat losses.

In the normal condition of the parts, roasts, etc. cooking within anoven cannot spatter grease or other extraneous matter upon the lamp and2,250,860 if suchmatter is deposited upon the wall member it cannotinterfere with illumination of the oven at such times as illumination isdesired. The lamp is thus kept clean for protracted periods and isoperable to perform its desired functions when required.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in itspreferred practical forms and the invention is to be understood as fullycommensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An oven having a lamp chamber provided with an opening into theinterior of the oven and another opening to the atmosphere, a lampmounted in fixed position in said chamber for illuminating the oveninterior, an inner closure for closing the opening into the oveninteriorly of the lamp to normally protect the lamp from the heat withinthe oven, an outer closure for closing the opening to the atmosphereexteriorly of the lamp to preclude loss of heat from within the oven tothe atmosphere when the inner cloof the lamp to normally protect thelamp from the heat within the oven, an outer closure for closing theopening to the atmosphere exteriorly of the lamp to preclude loss ofheat from within the oven to the atmosphere when the inner closure isopen, a link, one end of which is pivoted to the inner closure and theother end of which is pivoted to the outer closure, so that one isclosed as the other is opened, a switch for controlling the lamp, andaswitch operating handle secured to said handle to energize the lamp whenthe inner closure is opened and to de-energize the lamp when the innerclosure is closed.

3. An oven having a lamp chamber provided with an opening into theinterior of the oven and another opening to the atmosphere, a lamp insaid chamber, a pivoted inner closure for closing the opening into theoven interiorly of the lamp to normally protect the lamp from the heatwithin the oven, a pivoted outer closure for closing the opening to theatmosphere exteriorly of the lamp to preclude loss of heat from withinthe oven to the atmosphere when the inner closure is open, a lampcontrolling switch in said chamber having an operating button positionedto be engaged by the outer closure when the latter is closed to energizethe lamp and to be disengaged by such closure when the latter is open todisengage the lamp, and operative connections between the closureswhereby, when the outer closure is closed, the inner closure is opened.

CLEMENT EHRET.

